Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe opens in Waconia

A lot of people in Waconia have been thinking about thrift shops recently — but it has nothing to do with a song they may have heard on the radio. In fact, most of them are thinking about one certain shop, the Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe, which celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Affiliated with Promise Community Church in Waconia, Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe is a non-profit ministry serving the community of Waconia. Its goal is to sell quality merchandise at a reasonable cost. The shop is located at Promise Community Church (141 Depot Dr.) and is open on the first Thursday through Saturday of the month (not to be confused with the first weekend of the month) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
The effort to create the store has been brewing for about year and really got going this summer.
“We decided, let’s just do it,” said Diane Sullivan, who is among a group of dedicated people that have been working to make the store a reality. “We’re just believing that God will take care of it and grow it. We have a heart for our community and know there’s a lot of people in the community who are in need. We know there are other places in town and in the area (similar to our store) but we wanted to give people another place to shop.”
The folks behind Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe are serious about giving back to the community.
Each month, a percentage of the profits will be shared with a local charity or group. In October and November, 20 percent of the profits will be given to the Waconia United Food Shelf. Profits will also benefit Promise Community Church, which has been in its current location on Depot Drive for the past five years.
“We hope to provide some scholarship money for teens so they can attend special church events,” said Sullivan, who noted profits made from online sales will also be shared each month. “People could be all over the United States and end up donating to Waconia. The possibilities are endless when it comes to online shopping!”
Sullivan noted that the hope is for Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe to create partnerships with other charities so they can network and help promote each other.
At this time, the shop is accepting clothing and household items, which can be dropped off during business hours or by making arrangements with Sullivan (available via the contact portion of the shop’s website: www.trendingupward.org). A list of accepted and not accepted items is available on the website.
If one donates items during business hours, they will receive a $1 off coupon good at the store. The coupon is also available if one brings in non-perishable items for the food shelf during business hours. A five-cent credit is available for each bag that one brings from home to use on their purchases.
Although the shop is currently only open three days a month, that could change.
“We’re going to take a look at the end of December and see how we did. If it went well, maybe we’ll adjust opening to twice a month,” Sullivan said.
Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe will next open its doors Nov. 7-9 (coinciding with DEAR Hunting weekend). Cash, check, Visa and Mastercard are accepted at the store.
Sullivan and the rest of the shop’s organizers are looking forward to serving the community.
“We’re hoping to do well,” she said, noting that with the holiday shopping season just around the corner, they feel it’s a good time to open a new store.
Volunteer opportunities (including those for individuals and organizations) are available at Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe and financial donations will be accepted. To learn more, visit www.trendingupward.org.